RETHINKING THE POLITICAL NEUTRALITY: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

This article presents the results of the author’s analytical review of the content, scope and methods of application of the concept of «political neutrality» in modern scientific research in the fields of political science, social philosophy, religious studies and ethics. The purpose of this study is to clarify the content, attributes and specific features of the phenomenon of political neutrality to determine the most effective approach to understanding this phenomenon for further research in the field of political science. In the study, the author used the method of a systematic review of scientific literature, as well as such interdisciplinary methods and approaches as the comparative and comparative method, the method of rich description, the method of studying receptions, and the method of frequency analysis of the corpus of scientific texts. The main results of the study are: 1) systematisation of the types of understanding of the phenomenon and practices of political neutrality in the modern interdisciplinary field of political science, social philosophy, religious studies and ethics; 2) clarification of the content and scope of the concepts of «political neutrality» and «political neutrality»; 3) systematic presentation of the ways in which the terms «political neutrality» and «political neutrality» are used in modern political science. The article also contains the author’s definition of the concept of «political neutrality» not as a state, but as a process of searching for objectivity and openness to different points of view, which is most effective for further research on this issue.